4/16
Kristen de Groot
News Officer
krisde@upenn.edu
History
Law expert Kermit Roosevelt on the Electoral College and why America uses it
Law expert Kermit Roosevelt on the Electoral College and why America uses it
As Americans await final vote tallies, who declares victory comes down to how many electoral votes each candidate receives. Roosevelt explains the Electoral College, and discusses Trump’s claim that he might take the election to the Supreme Court before all votes are counted.
The sociology and science of genomes and biomes
The sociology and science of genomes and biomes
Rebecca Mueller studies how infectious microbes like the coronavirus can affect communities of people with genetic vulnerabilities.
Iran-China partnership: A reported new deal for a relationship going back to antiquity
Iran-China partnership: A reported new deal for a relationship going back to antiquity
William Figueroa, who recently earned his doctoral degree in history, shares his take on the past relations and what the new partnership could mean.
Is American democracy at a breaking point?
Is American democracy at a breaking point?
Amidst a backdrop of protests, the pandemic, and presidential politics, historian Anne Berg shares her thoughts on whether American democracy is at risk, historical parallels to the current situation, and what ordinary people can do.
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Members of Penn’s Indigenous community discuss their views of Christopher Columbus and how Indigenous people have suffered from Columbus-style colonialism.
Mary Frances Berry, a ‘woman of the century’
Mary Frances Berry, a ‘woman of the century’
In a profile, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History discusses her history as an adviser on education and civil rights, and today’s protest movements.
Looking at the past through the historic present
Looking at the past through the historic present
Sophomore Megan Chui expected her internship at the National Constitution Center to give her insights into how the past plays into the present. The summer of social unrest and the pandemic added a contemporary component to the job.
Reflections on suffrage: The 19th Amendment at 100
Reflections on suffrage: The 19th Amendment at 100
Penn Today reached out to experts from centers and schools across the University to look at suffrage through the lens of history, this election, and the fight yet to come.
Maps, pandemics, and reckoning with history
Maps, pandemics, and reckoning with history
Geospatial data has long been an important tool for scientists and scholars, but now, as society grapples with both coronavirus and a history of systemic racism, can maps help chart a path toward a brighter future?
Lessons from Hiroshima, 75 years later
Lessons from Hiroshima, 75 years later
Penn Today asks scholars and experts to share their thoughts on the 75th anniversary of America’s atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Media Contact
In the News
The Wall Street Journal
‘Slouch’ review: The panic over posture
In her new book, “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America,” Beth Linker of the School of Arts & Sciences traces society’s posture obsession to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
FULL STORY →
Time
Don’t be fooled by Trump’s failure to endorse a nationwide abortion ban
In an Op-Ed, Serena Mayeri of Penn Carey Law says that a second Trump administration would empower an anti-abortion movement determined to make abortion illegal everywhere.
FULL STORY →
The New Yorker
The truth behind the slouching epidemic
Beth Linker of the School of Arts & Sciences traces the history of a poor-posture epidemic in the U.S. which began at the onset of the 20th century.
FULL STORY →
Inside Higher Ed
The activist academy
In her book “Chasing the Intact Mind,” Amy S.F. Lutz of the School of Arts & Sciences argues that the current approach to disabilities studies marginalizes the most severely disabled.
FULL STORY →
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Our political parties have become unrecognizable
Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the Republican lean to the right during the last few decades has distorted labels like moderate and conservative.
FULL STORY →
Toronto Star
Few options available to Western leaders weighing response to Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny’s death
Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Western countries have little practical leverage to push Russia off its authoritarian path after Alexei Navalny’s death, given the economic and diplomatic sanctions already levied against Vladimir Putin.
FULL STORY →